Pickle This & That!

We’ve officially entered the age of pickling and fermentation— and we are SO excited to share with you ten surprising things you can pickle that all turn out delicious. You can even customize the pickle flavors so these veggies and fruits become more exotic simply by adding different herbs and spices to the brine.

Place vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk together until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool at least 10 minutes.

Place the lids over the jars and screw on tight. Cool and refrigerate, allowing the jars to cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge and try to wait at least 48 hours before opening them!

Chef Tips

The time for each veggie is flexible as some will take a few hours and others may taste best after a few weeks. It's important to check and see what you prefer.
Some things will take longer to pickle than others - for example, the green beans.

Pickled avocados are great for avocado toast, and try the pickled table grapes with goat cheese!

So what is pickling? It’s simply vegetables and fruit that are immersed and preserved in a vinegar, water, salt and sugar solution and stored in the refrigerator. Easy!

TipHero

There are a lot of reasons people pickle. One reason is an abundance of leftover summer veggies from the garden. (I have a ton of cherry tomatoes that are still green so preserving those summer flavors is key.) And what about gut health? Pickling is a form of fermentation, so it packs in those helpful probiotics.

Don’t forget to add other flavorings as you like: herbs, spices, and/or garlic can all be used in the jars. We even used cinnamon sticks in the apple brine!

So now that you know how, check out the ten surprising and surprisingly-delicious things we pickled!

Avocado: A Twist on Classic Avocado Tost

Millennials love avocado toast. And since this trend isn’t going away, let’s fancy them up for lunch! Instead of swapping in a new loaf of bread, try upgrading the fixings by pickling the avocados themselves.

Sweet and Tangy Zucchini

Add some zing to zucchini. Did you know this is the perfect topping for a burger or an ideal pairing with bratwurst? Zucchini can be eaten raw, thinly sliced into delicate carpaccio, or julienned into a salad.

Tomatoes Packed With Flavor

Russian-style pickled tomatoes are steeped in tradition. Some may say that the secret to Russian pickles is salt, and not vinegar, that makes them so special. Try looking at Pinterest for recipes for a traditional winter dish!

Dilly Beans

Dilly beans are green beans, suspended in a vinegar-based pickling liquid and seasoned simply with garlic, black peppercorns and either dill heads or seeds. Beans maintain their crunchiness even weeks after being pickled.

Eggs: A Fave Bar Snack!

These eggs are almost too beautiful to eat. Pickling firms the whites of the hard boiled egg, which then transforms them into something almost entirely new and delicious. Trendy, artsy pickled hard-boiled eggs have been a bar staple since the early 1900s. Enjoy with a beer!

Apples: Spice Up Your Snack

Play around with spice. People have been pickling apples since the Depression as a cheap and delicious way to get vitamins all year round. I bring apples to work at least 2 to 3 times a week as a snack. We pickled these with cinnamon sticks so they’re both sweet and tart.

Grapes Crush on Cheese

Goat cheese, blue cheese, honey: these are just a few of the perfect pairings for pickled grapes. These are not your typical table grapes!

Southern-Style Shrimp

Did you know spicy pickled shrimp are a staple of Southern cuisine? We added some lemon slices into the jar in addition to the pickling liquid for a mouth-watering flavor.

Sweet and Juicy Watermelon

Pickled watermelon pairs perfectly with ribs. The flavor is mind blowing! This is a very popular ingredient in summer salads, too. A Melon and Heirloom Tomato Salad is the go-to for foodies when they have pickled watermelons, ready after weeks soaking in the brine.

Fried Pickled Potatoes

Finger-licking good Fried Pickled Potatoes! It doesn’t have to be National Potato Day to celebrate these pickled potatoes. Did you know that potatoes are commonly pickled in Mexico? Yes, they’re a “thing”. Try these in a pickled potato salad!

All of these different pickled treats need different prep before you pickle. Here’s how to do each one.

Veggie Prep

Thinly slice: cucumbers, red onion

Cut into spears: carrots (peel), cucumbers, zucchini

Blanch: green beans (optional, but helps preserve their color)

Curious about pickle juice? Check out its many benefits! and Did you know it makes a great hangover remedy?!